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Andy Cohen Finds a Work/Life Balance By the Beach in a Home Filled With Family and Friends [Exclusive]

The Bravo-executive knows when its time to shut down for the day, and has a favorite place to do it with his favorite drink.

by Lucille Barilla

Published on June 26, 2024

3 min read

Andy Cohen is the host and executive producer of The Real Housewives franchise, Bravo’s late-night talk show, Watch What Happens Live!, the podcast Radio Andy and the Sirius XM series Andy Cohen’s Kiki Lounge. He is also a father to two children under the age of 5. Therefore, maintaining a work/life balance is a priority. How does Cohen do it? Time at the beach in a home filled with family and friends.

Andy Cohen reveals the beach is where he feels most ‘chilled out’

Showbiz Cheat Sheet: I understand you’ve had a house in the Hamptons for years, and you recently built a new home. Why is the area so special to you?

Andy Cohen: I love the beach, and I have a lot of friends out there, and it’s a really fun, low-key, relaxed vibe. I think people believe the Hamptons is all just crazy parties. It’s really what you make of it.

Is your home a summer home or an all-year-round home?

AC: It’s all year, it’s ready. It’s pumping right now. Yeah, and the kids love it. They’re so happy. [Cohen is a father to two children: a son, Benjamin, and a daughter, Lucy].

What makes you so relaxed when you’re there?

AC: Oh, my God, it’s just the beach, it’s just the ocean. It’s like, it’s the place that, if I’m afforded the opportunity, I can close my eyes. I get out there, and I feel chilled out.

Although you have lived in the Hamptons for many years, this new home differs greatly from your previous one.

AC: I built it from scratch. I mean, it’s something I’ve never done. I’ve never built a house from scratch. It’s very … it’s really me. I mean, it’s my dream house. It’s my little Barbie Dream House, and it’s very indoor-outdoor, and it’s just the way that I want to live.

How do you manage a work/life balance with the kids, your friends, family, and work?

AC: I am very deadline-oriented. If I have something due, I get it done. I tick off the boxes, you know, do what needs to be done. And so because of that, you feel that you can shut the phone off.

Andy Cohen chooses projects he believes are ‘fun’ and ‘interesting’

Showbiz Cheat Sheet: You host a podcast, and you do all these crazy reality shows everyone loves so much. You just dig your heels in and do it. Have you always been that way when it comes to work?

Andy Cohen: I have, but I do what seems fun or natural. It has to be organically interesting to me. That’s something I will admit to.

Did you ever believe that when you first started in this business, you would end up being known as the king of reality TV?

AC: That’s very kind. No, absolutely not, absolutely not.

A Fresca partnership is one of those natural, organic pairings for Andy Cohen

Andy Cohen pours a can of Fresca Mixed | Fresca Mixed

Showbiz Cheat Sheet: You are partnering with Fresca for their Fresca Mixed Club. Can you give our readers some information about the collaboration?

Andy Cohen: This has been a great partnership because Fresca has been my mixer of choice for years. We launched a members-only virtual Country Club last month because we’ve got four new flavors of Fresca mixed vodka spritz: watermelon, black cherry, orange, and fresh citrus.

The latest offering is these fancy ice kits. Believe it or not, I’m obsessed with ice, and this is really nice ice. It comes with really nice glasses and ice trays. If you go to Frescamixed.com, you can enter a sweepstakes, and you can win the kit. But also, one lucky person is going to win some actual ice in the form of some luxury jewelry, and you can RSVP to an event that I’m doing in Montauk, New York.

This is great because, you know, your fans know you love a good cocktail and you have the clubhouse on Watch What Happens Live. What is the most essential element in a good drink other than ice?

AC: By the way, do not underestimate the importance of ice in the drinks. That’s why these Fresca ice cubes are very good because they’re large. You’ve got to get the ratio of mixer to alcohol correct, and you just the pairing has to be right. I was naturally putting Fresca and tequila together for years.

The Paloma is something that I was doing on my own with Fresca.[A Paloma combines Tequila, lime juice, and a carbonated fruit drink such as Fresca]. So it really is about the combination and getting it right.

Andy Cohen hosts Watch What Happens Live. The talk series airs on Bravo.